Paraty

A World Heritage colonial cobblestone town between Atlantic rainforest and bay, with schooner island-hopping, the Mamanguá fjord, Trindade's boulder beaches, rainforest waterslides and cachaça distilleries.

Paraty lies at the southern tip of Rio de Janeiro state on the "Costa Verde" (Green Coast), between Rio and São Paulo, backed by the Atlantic rainforest of the Serra da Bocaina and facing Paraty Bay, dotted with dozens of islands. In the 18th century it was the port shipping out gold from Minas Gerais, leaving a superbly preserved colonial town; in 2019 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List together with Ilha Grande as a site of "culture and biodiversity". There are three areas to explore: the cobbled streets, whitewashed churches, galleries and cachaça bars of the pedestrian old town; at sea, island-hopping and snorkeling by schooner, or a boat trip deep into the Mamanguá fjord to climb its Pão de Açúcar; and on land, heading west along the Paraty–Cunha road to the Tobogã waterslide falls, the old Gold Trail (Caminho do Ouro) and cachaça distilleries, or south to Trindade's boulder beaches and natural pools and the hike to Praia do Sono. Ilha Grande, about 60 km northeast, is worth a separate 1–2 nights. The climate is hot and humid, rainier Dec–Mar and drier Apr–Oct; the FLIP international literary festival takes place in July and the Cachaça Festival in August. Long-distance buses from Rio or São Paulo take about 4–6 hours. Allow 3–4 days. The old town's cobblestones are uneven, so wear flat shoes; during full-moon spring tides, some streets flood.

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